Machine for heading kafir corn.



0. HAYES.

MACHINE FOR HEADING KAFIR 001m. APPLICATION FILED FEBIQ, 1913.

1,090,709. r Patented Mar. 17, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Inventor Attorneys O. HAYES.

MACHINE FOR HEADING KAPIR CORN.

. APPLICATION FILED FEB 19, 1913. 1,090,709.

Patented Mar.17,1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Inventor Attorneys Witnesses 0. HAYES.

MACHINE FOR HBADING KAFIR CORN.

APPLICATION FILED FEB 19, 1913.

Patented Mar. 17, 1914.

3 SHEBTS-SHEET 3.

Witnesses Attorneys OB'V'AL HAYES, 0F BRAMA'N, OKLAHOlYEA.

MACHINE FOR HEADING KAFIR CORN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. it, 31914.

Application filed February 19, 1913. Serial No. 749,427.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ORVAL HAYES, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Bra man, in the county of Kay and Stateof Oklahoma, have invented a new and useful Machine for Heading KafirCorn, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for heading Kafir corn and the likewhile standing in the field, one of the objects of the invention beingto provide improved means whereby the heads or tops of the corn can beremoved efficiently and directed onto an elevator which constitutesmeans for directing the severed tops into a wagon or other receptacleprovided therefor.

Another object is to provide a machine of this character which can beadjusted readily so as to act upon corn of different heights.

lVith the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the combination andarrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed, it being understood that changes in the preciseembodiment of the invention herein disclosed, can be made within thescope of What is claimed, without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

In the accompanying drawings the pre ferred form of the invention hasbeen shown. In said drawings :Figure 1 is a side elevation of themachine. Fig.2 is a rear elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a plan view.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference 1 designates themain frame of the machine, the same being supported by wheels 2 and 3. Asprocket 4L rotates with the wheel 2 and is adapted to transmit motionthrough a chain 5 to another sprocket 6 mounted on a counter shaft 7ournaled on the frame 1. This sprocket 6 is loose on the shaft and aclutch member 8 is feathered on said shaft and is adapted to be shiftedinto or out of engagement with a clutch member 9 extending from thesprocket so as to couple the sprocket to or release it from the shaft.This clutch member 8 can be shifted by means of a lever 10 extending toa point where it can be conveniently reached by a person occupying theseat 11.

A gear 12 is secured to shaft 7 and meshes with another gear 13 fastenedto the lower end of an upwardly extending shaft 14- This shaft isjournaled in the frame 1 and has a sprocket 15 secured to it close tothe top of the frame 1. This sprocket transmits motion through a chain16 to another sprocket 17 secured to an upwardly extending shaft 18which is journaled in the front portion of the frame 1. The chain 16 maybe held taut by an idler 19 as shown in Fig. 3.

A gear 20 is secured to the upper end of shaft 18 and meshes withanother gear 21 revoluble with a roller 22 extending across the lowerend of an elevator frame 23. This frame is fixedly connected to theframe 1 by means of braces 2 f suitably arranged. An endless apron 25 ismounted on the roller 22 and extends upwardly within the frame 23. Asshown in Fig. 3, the elevator extends beyond one side of the frame 1 sothat any material carried upwardly thereby and discharged from the upperend thereof will be free to drop into a wagon box or other receptaclearranged at one side of the machine. A forwardly and laterally curvedguard arm 26 is secured to the lower end of the elevator frame 23 andserves to deflect a portion of the corn into position to be engaged bythe cutting mechanism hereinafter described.

FiXedly connected to the frame 1 and extending upwardly thereabove areparallel guide posts 27 connected at their upper ends by a top strip 28on which a shaft 29 is journaled. This shaft has a hand wheel 30 securedthereto and is also provided with a sprocket 31. A ratchet wheel 32 issecured to the shaft and is normally engaged by a pawl 83 carried by aspring controlled lever 34. Sprocket 31 is engaged by a chain 34: oneend of which is secured to a table 35 which is mounted to slide upwardlyand downwardly on theguideposts 27. This table is also slidably mountedon the shaft 14, said shaft being extended upwardly to a point above thetop plate 28 and that portion of the shaft 1% located above sprocket 15being angular in cross section but mounted to freely rotate within thetable. As before stated, one end of chain 34: is connected to the table35. The other end of the chain has a cable 36 or the like attachedthereto, this cable extending downwardly under a guide sheave 37arranged below the path of movement of the table and being then extendedupwardly and attached to the bottom of the table. Thus it will be seenthat when the shaft 29 and sprocket 31 are rotated in one direction, thechain 34: will be drawn upwardly so as to elevate the table while cable36 will be paid out. When chain 34 is lowered the table will movedownwardly and the cable 36 will be taken up. Thus it will be seen thatthe table is moved positively in either direction.

Extending from the front end of the table is a forwardly and downwardlyinclined guard arm 38, this arm diverging laterally relative to the arm26, as shown clearly in Fig. 3. Fingers 39 extend upwardly from the rearportion of the guard arm 38 and are curved laterally to points above thelower portion of the elevator frame 23. An upwardly extending shaft 40is journaled on the table 35 close to and back of the fingers 39 andcarries the upper and lower curved arms 41 of a reel, these arms beingmovable betweenthe fingers 39 and between said fingers and the arm 38. Asprocket 42 is secured to the shaft and receives-motion, through a chain43, from a sprocket 44 which is slidably mounted on but rotates with theshaft 14. Chain 43 is held taut by an idler 45.

A stationary knife 46 is extended from the table and across the lowerend portion though it is to be understood that this number maybeincreased or diminished as desired. A backing plate 48 is secured to theblade 46 in advance of the path of the blade 47 and has its front endtapered as shown in Fig. 1.

I It will be apparent from the foregoing description thatwhen'themachine moves forward, motion will be transmitted from wheel 2through sprocket 4, chain 5 and sprocket 6, to the counter shaft'7,provided the clutch members 8 and 9 are in engagement with each other.Counter shaft 7 will transmit motion through gears 12 and 13 to theupwardly extending shaft 14 so that chains 16 and 43 will be operatedand motion thus transmitted to the elevator apron 25 and to the shaft 40and the blades 47 thereon. During the forward movement of the machinethe corn in the path of the arms 26 and 38 will be gathered inwardlytoward the path of the blades 47 and at the lower end of the apron 25.As the blades 47 operate they cut the tops of the corn upon thestationary blade 46 and these tops are thrown by the arms 41 of the reelso as to fall onto the apron 25. The apron thus conveys the topsupwardly and discharges them into a wagon box or the like arranged atone side of the machine. By operating the shaft 29 in the mannerhereinbefore described, the table 35can be raised or lowered so that thecutting mechanism will be brought into posi tion to cut corn of,different heights.

What is claimed is 1 1. A machine for topping corn, including a wheelsupported structure, an elevator extending upwardly and laterallytherefrom, a vertically adjustable table, fixed and revoluble cuttingelements carried by the table, a reel revoluble with the revolublecutting element for directing severed tops onto the elevator, a guardarm extending across the receiving end of the'elevator and curvedforward and laterally therefrom, another guard arm carried by the tableand extend ing forwardly, downwardly and laterally, said guard armsconstituting means for gathering the stalks of a row into position to beacted on by the cutting elements, fingers extending from theback portionof the last named guard-arm andextending laterally toward the elevator,said reel having arms movable between the fingers, and means foractuating the movable cutting element.

2. A machine fortopping corn including a wheel supported structure, anelevator extending upwardly and laterally therefrom, a table mounted forvertical adjustment relative to the structure, fixed and movable cuttingelements carried by the table, said fixed element-extending across thereceiving end ofthe'elevator, abacking plate-upon the fixed element, areel revoluble with the movable cutting element for directing severedtops onto the elevator, a guard arm extending across the receiving endof the elevator and curved forwardly and laterally therefrom, anotherguard arm carried by the table and extendingforwardly, downwardly andlaterally, said'guard arms constituting 7 means for gatherlng the stalksof a row into position to be acted on by the cutting elements, fingersextending from the back portion of said last'named-guard arm and ex.-tending laterallytoward the elevator, said reel having arms movablebetween the fingers, andmeans for transmitting motion to the movablecutting element from one of the supporting wheels irrespective of theadjustment of the table, the elevator being'located entirely at one sideof the gathered stalks.

In testimony my own, I have hereto aflixed my signature in the presenceof two witnesses.

ORVAL HAYES.

Witnesses:

H. Gr. FIsHER,

ALPHA HAYE Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each,bynaddressin'g'the' Commissioner '0! Tatenta,

Washington, D. C."

